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Iron treatment normalizes cognitive functioning in young women
Open accessAbstract
Background Evidence suggests that brain iron deficiency at any time in life may disrupt metabolic processes and subsequently change cognitive and behavioral functioning. Women of reproductive age are among those most vulnerable to iron deficiency and may be at high risk for cognitive alterations due to iron deficiency.Objective We aimed to examine the relation between iron status and cognitive abilities in young women.Design A blinded, placebo-controlled, stratified intervention study was conducted in women aged 18-35 y of varied iron status who were randomly assigned to receive iron supplements or a placebo. Cognition was assessed by using 8 cognitive performance tasks (from Detterman's Cognitive Abilities Test) at baseline (n = 149) and after 16 wk of treatment (n = 113).Results At baseline, the iron-sufficient women (n = 42) performed better on cognitive tasks (P = 0.011) and completed them faster (P = 0.038) than did the women with iron deficiency anemia (n = 34). Factors representing performance accuracy and the time needed to complete the tasks by the iron-deficient but nonanemic women (n = 73) were intermediate between the 2 extremes of iron status. After treatment, a significant improvement in serum ferritin was associated with a 5-7-fold improvement in cognitive performance, whereas a significant improvement in hemoglobin was related to improved speed in completing the cognitive tasks.Conclusions Iron status is a significant factor in cognitive performance in women of reproductive age. Severity of anemia primarily affects processing speed, and severity of iron deficiency affects accuracy of cognitive function over a broad range of tasks. Thus, the effects of iron deficiency on cognition are not limited to the developing brain.
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“A study in 149 American young women aged 18–35 years found that iron-sufficient women performed better and more rapidly on cognitive tasks than did the women with iron deficiency anemia”
From Vitamins and Minerals for Energy, Fatigue and Cognition: A Narrative Review of the Biochemical and Clinical Evidence (2020) · cites this paper as [178]
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“Attention, memory and learning were affected and data show that cognitive performance decreased when the severity of iron deficiency increased [178].”
From Vitamins and Minerals for Energy, Fatigue and Cognition: A Narrative Review of the Biochemical and Clinical Evidence (2020) · cites this paper as [178]
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“Following iron supplementation (60 mg daily for 4 months), 149 young American women with iron deficiency anemia at baseline experienced a significant improvement in serum ferritin (22.8 µg/L vs. 9.2 µg/L in the placebo group) that was associated with a 5-fold improvement in cognitive performance [178].”
From Vitamins and Minerals for Energy, Fatigue and Cognition: A Narrative Review of the Biochemical and Clinical Evidence (2020) · cites this paper as [178]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Murray-Kolb, L. E., & Beard, J. L.
- Affiliations
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- Venue
- The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2007-03
- Volume
- 85
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 778-787
- ISSN
- 0002-9165 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2101018822
- Cited by
- 373
- References
- 45
- Citations by year
- 2026: 17 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 22 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 34 · 2016: 19 · 2015: 21 · 2014: 28 · 2013: 21 · 2012: 26
- FWCI
- 9.73
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UCLA - Biblioteca de Ciencias de la Salud (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (99-35200-7610)
- Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum
- National Center for Research Resources (MO1 RR10732, M01RR010732)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Hematology › Iron Metabolism and Disorders
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neurological diseases and metabolism
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Trace Elements in Health
- Keywords
- iron deficiency, iron supplementation, cognitive function, women of reproductive age, iron deficiency anemia, serum ferritin, hemoglobin, processing speed, cognitive accuracy
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Attention, Cognition, Female, Humans, Iron, Learning, Memory, Placebos, Reference Values, Patient Selection, Anemia, Iron-Deficiency
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